This article is for Amanda Enterprise (AE)
Info Type:General
Info Description for Tape Changers:
By default Amanda searches for the oldest or a new tape in a tapecycle and uses that tape to write the backups to. At times, we need to preserve the backup data in some specific tapes for longer duration. So to prevent Amanda from using these media/tape again during the next cycle, we archive the needed tape. This media volume is still tracked by Amanda catalog and is available for backup restoration.
As soon as a tape is archived in the ZMC Backup| Media page, the tape will not be re-used for backups and you have to refill in a new tape as a replacement for the archived tape.
If you are backing up to a tape changer, and you have additional slots available then increase the Last Slot Number by 1. In case all the slots are already occupied then you can simply reduce the Tapes in Rotation by value 1.
If you are backing up to a single tape drive then simply add one more physical tape in the backup cycle ( no configuration changes needed ).
After you add new tape to a single tape drive or tape changers, make sure that you label the new tape on the Backup| Media page. Tape labeling is not needed if backing up to disks.
Info Description for Disk/Cloud:
If you are doing backups to disks or cloud, ZMC will automatically manage the number of tapes. To archive a backup, go to the Backup| Media page and select the backup file to Archive.